To Trunks, on his 17th birthday
by purpleraincloud
Summary: Retrospective of Goten and Trunks' friendship


Disclaimer: I don't own so don't sue. Agreed?  
Author's Notes: I'm a sap. That you can sue me for. Putting Goten and Trunks friendship into retrospective. I've altered the ages of Pan and Bra a bit, Bra is a bit older, Pan is a bit younger.  
  
  
To Trunks, on his 17th birthday  
  
6:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Goten rose quietly from bed and took two glances to his left and right. Gohan was still asleep. Of course. He should be exhausted Goten thought. It had only been several hours since his brother, his father and Vegeta stopped Buu. But tradition is tradition. It was 6:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month. He had to keep his appointment. They met each other at the edge of the lake in the sleepy forest.  
"You made it, I didn't think you would." Trunks said solemnly.  
"Yeah... Gohan didn't even say anything to me as I left. Everyone in my house is sound asleep."  
Trunks nodded. "Dad was too tired to even get up and do his morning training."  
"Ready to go then?" Goten asked.  
"Yeah."  
  
Ten years later...  
  
"Goten! Goten!" Bra ran up to her brother's friend.  
"Oh... hey Bra." Goten said carelessly, running a hand through his short spikey hair, and continued walking down the busy street, evening his strides to match Bra's speed.  
Bra was a surprise to everyone, he thought. Mostly to Vegita, who couldn't believe Bulma survived bearing another sayijan. Actually, Goten thought, if I remember correctly, she almost didn't. He shook his head absentmindedly; Bra was speaking to him in an excited tone.  
"Mom told me to invite you and your family to our barbecue this Sunday."  
"Barbecue?"  
"Yeah... for my brother's birthday, remember?"  
Oh yeah. Hell.  
"Right. I'll tell my dad."  
"Good, well I gotta run. Remember to come!" Bra ran off.  
"Gripes." Goten said, slapping himself on the forehead.  
Goten walked the three miles home in quiet. He threw his bag down on his bed. His room was his room alone now. Gohan had moved out after marrying Videl. It was weird at first. He had a nightmare once, a while ago after Gohan had moved out, and tried to reach over to grab the empty space that used to be his brother. Goten sighed, but change is inevitable, wasn't it?  
  
Goten woke with a start. It was Saturday morning. Checking the blinking alarm clock, Goten realized he had overslept. Drat, he thought, throwing on his clothes and running out the door.  
"Going to meet Trunks." Goku stated rather then asked, with a faint smile. Goku never looked tired, today was not an exception, he was sitting on the kitchen table, cross-legged as if he had been meditating before Goten barged in.  
"Gomen tousan." Goten said quickly.  
Goku looked around, confused, expecting Chi-Chi fuming behind him. She wasn't there though. She was still asleep.   
"No need. You didn't interrupt anything." Goku said with a bright smile. Goten smiled back, it was nice to have a father who was almost always in a good mood, and it was contagious.  
"But you didn't answer me before," Goku said. "Going to meet Trunks?"  
"Yeah," Goten mumbled, opened the door and after giving his father an apologetic smile, bolted out.  
They met at the edge of the lake in the sleepy forest.  
Trunks was dressed... nice. More formal than usual. He had on a black blazer and a purple vest that matched his hair color. His sunglasses were perched on his forehead, pushing his hair up. He gazed at Goten bewildered for a moment, as if he hadn't recognized him, and then, suddenly changing his expression gave his life long friend the smallest wave as he approached.  
"Hey."  
"You're late."  
"I know. Sorry."  
Silence.  
"Nice get-up." Goten said, gesturing at Trunks' clothes.  
Trunks blushed slightly. "Yeah, mom wants me to go to work with her today. You know," Trunks said, kicking up dirt with his loafers, "learn the family business."  
"Actually I wouldn't know... my family doesn't really have a business you see."  
"Ha ha."  
Sielnce again.  
Goten felt a surge of sympathy for Trunks as he fiddled with his blazer. Trunks didn't want to be president of the Capsule Corporation any more then Goten wanted to be king of the jungle... but he had expectations to live up to. It was bad enough Trunks had to be Vegita's soldier... but he also had to be Bulma's little executive too.  
"Ready to go or not, funny guy?" Trunks asked Goten and with a small fist, hit him playfully on the shoulder.  
"Yeah. Let's go."  
  
Goten couldn't remember when the "tradition" started. Every first Saturday of the month at 6:30 a.m. they would meet at the edge of the lake by Goten's house and together they would make a 60 yard trek to the hills and watch the sunrise. Sometimes they talked about their current affairs, sometimes they would say nothing to each other at all. This was just something they did.  
This time their little pilgrimage was the day before Trunks' 17th birthday.  
They sat in silence while the sun blazed, rising in swirling reds, oranges and blues. After a moment it was still, it had settled high in the middle of the sky.  
"Are you going to the barbecue tomorrow?" Trunks asked, feeling weird about being awkward around Goten. Why would he, Goten and him have been friends for as long as he could remember?  
"Of course." Goten said, eyes still on the sun. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
Trunks shrugged, he didn't really want to talk about it. "Mom planned it since the beginning of this week. I didn't really give it much thought I guess. Sorry."  
"Don't worry about it."  
"I won't..."  
  
The next day...  
  
"Hey stranger." Bulma said, hugging Goku at the door.  
"I brought dessert." Chi-chi said, holding out two molds of jello, a fruit salad and a cake.  
"Well... at least some of the food will be edible." Krillin mumbled.  
"Shut up Krillin." Bulma said, instantly, but then smiled warmly and let the Sons in.  
Gohan was holding his baby girl in his arms and everyone came to gawk.  
Goten found Trunks laid, stretched out, on the rail on the balcony. He seemed to have been sleeping there, but with the sound of Goten's approaching footsteps, he opened his eyes slowly.  
"Pretty night, huh?" Trunks said, with a weak smile.  
"Happy birthday man."  
"Thanks."  
The two remained there. Goten hooked his fingers around the rail and leaned forward. Gazing down at the view, he could almost see the entire city from here, he thought. The lights of the houses down below looked liked confused fireflies. The wind blew his hair back in a way that felt good, and refreshing. Looking down Goten noticed Trunks had closed his eyes again, but he wasn't asleep.  
"I wonder if I was born on a night like this. It's so calm, and peaceful."  
"Yeah..."   
"Hey you two!" Bulma shouted. Turning his head slightly Goten could see everyone had gathered in the dining room. Gohan gestured for him to grab Trunks and get inside quickly. He tapped Trunks lightly on the arm and with a pained look in his friend's eyes, pulled him away from the nice moment of peace they had shared.  
A crowd of noise came through as they came back inside. Mostly people wishing Trunks a happy birthday. He received plenty of pats and hair ruffling.  
The night dragged on like that. Goten laid on the couch, listening to Gohan speak to their parents about Pan, his daughter. Goten got up and looked around. Trunks had disappeared again. Taking another quick survey of the room he had noticed Trunks' friends from school had all left. Good, Goten thought bitterly, he hadn't like any of them. That wasn't entirely true, he had liked them. How could he not? Trunks had picked cool friends as usual. Trunks always had the cool stuff. Goten just didn't like the fact that he had any other friends besides him, Trunks was his Trunks and he shouldn't be anybody else's friend.  
He's probably in his room, Goten thought. And walked down the halls of the Capsule Corporation. He hadn't explored this place since his early childhood. Trunks didn't really care to show him around, he preferred that they go immediately to his room, so he had to do it when Trunks wasn't looking.  
Trunks' room was the last to the right. The door to it was beside some famous painting Trunks liked. He had told Goten the name of it once... Starry Night? By... Goten couldn't remember. But he found the painting somewhat disturbing so it was probably good he couldn't remember who painted it.  
Turning the doorknob slowly he saw a clump under the blankets. Trunks had come into his room and fallen asleep. He was truly uncaring of everyone making a big deal of his birthday. Goten searched his pockets and pulled out a small box with a purple bow on it, and placed it on Trunks' desk next to his cow shaped alarm clock.  
It was weird that he was so close to someone so unlike him. With Trunks Goten was the unwilling partner in crime, the confused sidekick, the voice of reason... If this had been Goten's birthday party, he would have undoubtedly made Trunks stay up all night with him partying. Trunks on the other hand, retreated from the attention. He wouldn't even initially accept Goten's present.  
"It's a rock, right? You got me a rock?" Trunks scoffed.  
But Goten knew he would appreciate it even if he did give Trunks a rock. That was just the weird way their friendship worked. And Goten was glad he was his friend. He couldn't stand it if he always had to be "Goku's son" or "Gohan's little brother." With Trunks, Goten was never second favorite, second strongest or anything... they were best friends.  
"Good night, my friend." Goten whispered and softly closed the door behind him.  
  
  



End file.
